Manziel could use off-field blocker

Updated 4:26 pm, Friday, March 29, 2013

Even a routine trip to the grocery store is an event when it involves Heisman winner Johnny Manziel.

Even a routine trip to the grocery store is an event when it involves Heisman winner Johnny Manziel.

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Long before he became known to the college football world as "Johnny Heisman," Johnny Manziel was making a name for himself in South Texas wearing the blue and gold of Tivy High School in Kerrville. Click ahead to see his transformation from high school player to Heisman winner.

Long before he became known to the college football world as "Johnny Heisman," Johnny Manziel was making a name for himself in South Texas wearing the blue and gold of Tivy High School in Kerrville. Click ahead

Texas A&M redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) throws passes on the first day of the team's NCAA college fall football practice in College Station, Aug. 3, 2012.

Texas A&M redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) throws passes on the first day of the team's NCAA college fall football practice in College Station, Aug. 3, 2012.

Photo: Stuart Villanueva, AP Photo/Bryan College Station Eagle

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Johnny Manziel made his first Texas A&M start on Sept. 8, 2012, against Florida. He passed for 173 yards and ran for 60 yards and a touchdown. Florida won 20-17.

Johnny Manziel made his first Texas A&M start on Sept. 8, 2012, against Florida. He passed for 173 yards and ran for 60 yards and a touchdown. Florida won 20-17.

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Houston Chronicle

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Johnny Manziel directed his first college victory when Texas A&M rolled over SMU 48-3 on Sept. 15, 2012. Manziel ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 294 yards and four touchdowns.

Johnny Manziel directed his first college victory when Texas A&M rolled over SMU 48-3 on Sept. 15, 2012. Manziel ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 294 yards and four touchdowns.

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Johnny Manziel passed for three touchdowns and ran for two in Texas A&M's 70-14 victory over South Carolina State on Sept. 22, 2012.

Johnny Manziel passed for three touchdowns and ran for two in Texas A&M's 70-14 victory over South Carolina State on Sept. 22, 2012.

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Houston Chronicle

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Johnny Manziel passed for 453 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 104 yards and a touchdown as Texas A&M beat Arkansas on Sept. 29, 2012.

Johnny Manziel passed for 453 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 104 yards and a touchdown as Texas A&M beat Arkansas on Sept. 29, 2012.

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The Aggies played a close one on the road but rallied to beat Ole Miss 30-27 on Oct. 6, 2012, when Johnny Manziel accounted for the last two touchdowns of the game on a 29-yard run with 6:24 left and and 20-yard pass to Ryan Swope with 1:46 left. less

The Aggies played a close one on the road but rallied to beat Ole Miss 30-27 on Oct. 6, 2012, when Johnny Manziel accounted for the last two touchdowns of the game on a 29-yard run with 6:24 left and and ... more

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The Aggies won a tight game on the road for the second week in a row. Johnny Manziel passed for 395 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 181 yards and three touchdowns in a dramatic 59-57 victory over Louisiana Tech on Oct. 13, 2012. less

The Aggies won a tight game on the road for the second week in a row. Johnny Manziel passed for 395 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 181 yards and three touchdowns in a dramatic 59-57 victory over ... more

Photo: Kita K Wright, Associated Press

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National power LSU hands Texas A&M its second loss of the season on Oct. 20, 2012, at Kyle Field. Johnny Manziel passed for 276 yards and rushed for 27 and didn't have a touchdown.

National power LSU hands Texas A&M its second loss of the season on Oct. 20, 2012, at Kyle Field. Johnny Manziel passed for 276 yards and rushed for 27 and didn't have a touchdown.

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Houston Chronicle

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Johnny Manziel bounces back by running for three touchdowns and passing for 260 yards and two more TDs as the Aggies beat Auburn 63-21 on Oct. 27, 2012. Then it'sautograph time for a young fan.

Johnny Manziel bounces back by running for three touchdowns and passing for 260 yards and two more TDs as the Aggies beat Auburn 63-21 on Oct. 27, 2012. Then it'sautograph time for a young fan.

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Johnny Manziel rambles for 129 yards and two touchdowns and completes 30 of 36 passes for 311 yards in a 38-13 victory over Mississippi State on Nov. 3, 2012, in Starkville, Miss. Yardage on his run by the goal line didn't come easy. less

Johnny Manziel rambles for 129 yards and two touchdowns and completes 30 of 36 passes for 311 yards in a 38-13 victory over Mississippi State on Nov. 3, 2012, in Starkville, Miss. Yardage on his run by the goal ... more

Photo: Rogelio V. Solis, AP

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For anyone in college football nation who didn't know about Johnny Manziel, they did after Texas A&M beat top-ranked Alabama 29-24 in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 10, 2012. Manziel passed for 253 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions and also ran for 92 yards. less

For anyone in college football nation who didn't know about Johnny Manziel, they did after Texas A&M beat top-ranked Alabama 29-24 in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 10, 2012. Manziel passed for 253 yards and two touchdowns ... more

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Johnny Manziel continued to pile up the touchdowns (two running and three passing) in a 47-28 home victory over Sam Houston State on Nov. 17, 2012.

Johnny Manziel continued to pile up the touchdowns (two running and three passing) in a 47-28 home victory over Sam Houston State on Nov. 17, 2012.

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Johnny Manziel passed for 372 yards and three touchdowns in Texas A&M's final home game of the 2012 season, a 59-29 conquest of Missouri. Manziel also rushed for 67 yards and two touchdowns.

Johnny Manziel passed for 372 yards and three touchdowns in Texas A&M's final home game of the 2012 season, a 59-29 conquest of Missouri. Manziel also rushed for 67 yards and two touchdowns.

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Houston Chronicle

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Texas A&M's quarterback Johnny Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, poses for photos during a press conference Saturday Dec. 8, 2012 at the New York Marriott Marquis hotel in New York, New York.

Texas A&M's quarterback Johnny Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, poses for photos during a press conference Saturday Dec. 8, 2012 at the New York Marriott Marquis hotel in New York, New York.

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Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel appears on the Late Show with David Letterman to introduce the Top Ten Perks of Winning The Heisman.

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel appears on the Late Show with David Letterman to introduce the Top Ten Perks of Winning The Heisman.

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If Johnny Manziel needed a season-ending victory to live up to the Heisman hype, he got it in Texas A&M's 41-13 Cotton Bowl victory over former Big 12 foe Oklahoma on Jan. 4, 2013. Manziel dominated the game on the ground by averaging 13.5 yards per carry. He finished with 229 yards and two touchdowns rushing and 287 yards and two more touchdowns passing.

If Johnny Manziel needed a season-ending victory to live up to the Heisman hype, he got it in Texas A&M's 41-13 Cotton Bowl victory over former Big 12 foe Oklahoma on Jan. 4, 2013. Manziel dominated the game on

Johnny Manziel rushed for 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns and passed for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns on the way to becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman. So what do you do after that? You hit the practice field on the first Saturday of March 2013 for the opening day of spring drills. Johnny Manziel's sophomore season at Texas A&M kicks off on Aug. 31 at Kyle Field against Rice. less

Johnny Manziel rushed for 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns and passed for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns on the way to becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman. So what do you do after that? You hit the ... more

Photo: Eric Christian Smith, Houston Chronicle

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Manziel could use off-field blocker

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COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel's model girlfriend, Sarah Savage, recently coaxed him out of his home for what was supposed to be a few minutes.

“She said, 'Let's go to H-E-B and pick up some things,'” Manziel said.

His winking response to his longtime love: “I'll be here when you get back.”

“Come on, nobody will notice you,” she replied.

So Aggieland's most famous couple — the ravishing Savage has earned her own share of fame in the past few months — ventured to the grocery store that evening.

“I was like, all right, let's see how this goes,” recalled Manziel, a former Kerrville Tivy standout. “Twenty pictures later it was 11 at night.”

Milk and eggs, apparently, are no longer simple purchases for Manziel, who nearly four months ago made history as the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. A&M has estimated it might bring in about $250 million off the Heisman triumph, while Manziel continues simply earning a scholarship in leading the Aggies into their second season in the Southeastern Conference.

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Hollywood celebrities and pro athletes can giggle all the way to the bank in dealing with the hassles of fame. Manziel, meanwhile, can simply grimace while running a routine errand. It's one reason he wears black-rimmed glasses and a hat pulled low more often than not these days, as his version of a Groucho Marx ensemble.

He'd also like to make one thing clear: He said he has been blessed by what's happened in the past year, going from fighting for the Aggies' starting job to becoming the most famous current college football player.

“One of the best parts of the position I'm in is getting to meet new people,” he said. “I've met a lot of new people — not just celebrities — but good, down-to-earth people who like to have a conversation with me about whatever. But it can get a little out of control if you don't keep it under wraps.”

While he still enjoys the nightlife in bigger cities, Manziel truly is more of a homebody in Aggieland, where the booming campus is considered downtown and Kyle Field its beacon.

“I remember going out my freshman year and stuff like that and being normal — being like everybody else,” Manziel said. “The other day me and (receiver) Mike Evans went to play basketball at the rec center and we (suddenly) had 1,000 people watching — just a game of pick-up basketball. It's just different, and I continue to adjust.

“I know I use that word a lot, but that's the best way to describe everything now.”

Which is why, if things continue at their current pace, Manziel likely will need a bodyguard, which of course isn't unusual for a national celebrity. Right now his lead blocker off the field is A&M student Nathan Fitch, who certainly didn't sign up for this sometimes hair-raising duty as Manziel's longtime best friend from Kerrville.

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“Sometimes we'll get stuck in an establishment for an hour and a half because he's so particular about not offending anyone,” said Fitch, who's 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds. “People can get pretty pushy, because they're super excited to see him, and they lose their manners.”

So Fitch often plays the “bad guy” and at least tries to clear the way for Manziel. Down in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, over spring break, Manziel said he was fortunate to have former A&M linebacker Jonathan Stewart, among others, helping make way along the water.

A&M's associate athletic director for football, Justin Moore, said the program is working through the offices of the president and the provost to make it clear to professors and students that if Manziel is on campus for class, he needs to be treated like every other student “as much as possible.”

Manziel is taking only online courses this semester and is primarily in the football team's Bright Building when on campus. Moore said A&M hired extra security for last Saturday's Aggie Youth Experience, and officials were still left shaking their heads at the, well, experience.

“You can tell people we're not doing pictures or autographs, but they don't care,” Moore said. “They just stand there and don't listen. Then you've suddenly got a mob of people around him.”

Moore said he's in routine contact with Manziel regarding the matter and if there becomes true concern for his safety, A&M will provide him with a full-time bodyguard. It hasn't reached that point, but this situation is new to everyone, with a Heisman winner only entering his sophomore season.